Andrew Wiggins, Peyton Watson among too-early free agent targets
The The Los Angeles Lakers are currently preparing for the unofficial second half of the season after the All-Star game over the weekend. The Lakers are currently in a solid position in the Western Conference playoffs, but they’re just two games out of the playoffs, which means things could get tough down the stretch.
Los Angeles had a relatively quiet trade deadline, trading Gabe Vincent to the Atlanta Hawks for sharpshooter Luke Kennard, but it didn’t do much to address their lack of defensive versatility.
Now, some are he is already looking ahead until the summer, when there will be several three-and-D free agents on the market.
“They need to get as many defensive players as possible with the length to knock down a shot,” said one Eastern Conference executive, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“Unrestricted free agents discussed internally, sources told ESPN, include Andrew Wiggins and Tara Easonwhile Tobias Harris, Quentin Grimes and Dean Wade are the other players who fit that profile,” McMenamin said.
McMenamin also added that “the Lakers have also privately discussed restricted free agent Peyton Watson” from the Denver Nuggets.
At this point, all indications are that the Nuggets plan to bring Watson back after his breakout campaign this season, although Denver’s ownership has a history of letting prized free agents walk out the door due to their unwillingness to enter certain tax brackets.
Last year, the Lakers had a solid two-way player in Dorian Finney-Smith, but he ended up joining the Houston Rockets in free agency over the summer.
Right now, the Lakers don’t have a single player on the roster who is above average on either end of the floor, and many expect that problem to be exposed come playoff time, as it was last year.
The Lakers’ season will continue on Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.
2026-02-17 16:16:00
